Packaging means and method



Dec. 11, 1962 G. J. BILSKY 3,067,870

PACKAGING MEANS AND METHOD .Filed Feb. 23, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Gco sc d. 845K K7 op /E75 Dec. 11, 1962 G. J. BILSKY 3,067,870

PACKAGING MEANS AND METHOD Filed Feb. 23, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 so -i- 49 INVENTOR.

BY 620K 66 J- 3105K) 3,067,870 PACKAGING MEANS AND METHOD George J; Bilsky, 205 Lindberg Blvd, Teaneck, NJ. Filed Feb. 23, 1961, Ser. No. 90,993 11 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) This invention relates to packaging means and more particularly relates to a packaging means and method adapted to bind and display a plurality of sales items on a counter or the like.

Christmas and other greeting cards are often sold packaged in boxes. Such boxes frequently contain a plurality of stacked cards each of which has an identical frontispiece and an identical message page. Such contents are known in thetrade as solid packs. Sometimes there are several stacks in the box, and each stack comprises cards of a single frontispiece and message page, while the various stacks differ in these features. Such contents are known in the trade as boxed assortments.

A principal need of the prior art has been a packaging and display method that would connect boxes of cards so that they may be sold as packs of several boxes, or alternatively so they might be broken off and sold individually. This need has been strong, since it has been demonstrated in other selling fields that such packs tend to sell more items since buyers tend to accept the implied suggestion to buy more than one unit.

However, heretofore binding together of such boxes into packs has not been practical because of another seeming inconsistent object. This latter object has been to allow free access to the contents of a sample box in the pack so as to permit and encourage the buyer to inspect such contents before he decides on buying or not. This inspection is highly desirable from a selling point of view, since most customers will not become interested in boxed articles unless they may browse and inspect samples thereof themselves. Yet prior art methods of preparing packs have not been adaptable to forming packs of boxes containing such non-fungible goods since they invariably involve making it difficult or impossible to inspect the goods in one of the boxes without damaging the packaging or creating apprehension of doing so. Either is suflicient to discourage browsing and hence sales.

Another need in card display and packaging means has been a throwaway advertising message. Most people prefer relatively conservative card boxes, but the needs of the selling art make attention-getting wrappers advantageous. Such wrappers can indicate price or other selling information in bold letters that might be objectionable on the boxes themselves.

A principal object of the invention therefore is to provide a means of binding a plurality of boxes together into a pack in such a way as to permit access to the contents of the pack Without disrupting the characteristic of plurality, thus permitting the customer to inspect the contents of a box and then to replace the removed contents and restoring the pack to its entire original appearance.

Another object of the invention is to provide a means of separating the plurality of boxes in order to sell them individually, where desired, without marring or defacing the separate boxes comprising the plurality.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a means and method that also serves as a throw-away advertising message.

Still another object of the invention is to provide such a means and method so as to facilitate ease of handling, displaying, and storage by the reduction of small units to larger ones.

Other objects and a fuller appreciation of the ad- 3,067,870 Patented Dec. 11, 1962 of FIGURE 1 with parts removed in order to show certain internal details and also to show a preliminary stage of assembly;

FIGURE 5 is a section view entirely like FIGURE 4 but showing internal details of a second embodiment of the inventive principles.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals identify like parts in all views thereof, the invention comprises in general a plurality of boxes 10 stacked in overlying relation and bound together by a sheet 20 inserted and folded in a certain manner and held in place by a stack of cards 30 and a removable clamp-over lid top 40.

As best shown in FIGURES 2 and 3 the inventive principles are adapted to package a plurality of packed Christmas or other card boxes together. It should'be understood that the inventive principles may be employed with boxes containing other articles of merchandise, so long as those articles are packed similarly to cards, as described hereinafter. It should be understood that the boxes may contain several side by side stacks of cards (not shown) instead of a single stack. The exact same inventive principles as hereinafter described apply in these and all similar situations.

A first box 10a is stacked with cards 30a and capped with a cover 4% so as to present a ready-to-sell item. A second box It} is then placed on top of the first box 10a in bottom to top overlying relationship. A sheet 20 of approximately suiiicient length to girdle the stacked boxes in the vertical plane is passed under box 10a and up two opposed sides of the stacked boxes and into the open top of box 10a from respective sides thereof. As shown in FIGURE 4, the ends 21 and 22 of the sheet 20 are folded down inside box 10 so as to lie substantially coextensive with the adjacent sides and bottom of the said box. The ends 21 and 22 may meet and overlap, or they may merely closely approach each other. If the ends meet and overlap, they may be separate or affixed. If, affixed, they may be glued or the like, or the entire sheet may be a continuous loop of sufiicient circumference to lie flush and coextensive with the sides and bottom of the uppermost box as aforesaid.

FIGURE 5 shows a cross section of a pack assembly employing such a continuous loop designated 20a. This loop may be one piece, or may be a looped sheet such as 20 in FIGURES 1 through 4, further wherein the loop closes upon itself and is glued or otherwise afiixed into a complete annulus. In all other principles loop 20a performs just as does sheet 20.

A stock of cards 30 is then placed in normal position inside box 10. Lid top 40 is then applied to box 10. As best shown in FIGURES l and 2, the lid top 40 tends to clamp over the box 10 so as to press sheet 20 against the upper edges 11 and 12 of box 10 and thereby hold the sheet firmly in place. The tucked-under ends 21 and 22 are also held down by stacked cards 30 and the pressure thereon from top 40. The entire ends 21 and 22 of sheet 20 that extend inside box 10 are thus held firmly in place by this combination of mechanisms.

It is contemplated that a line of perforations may be punched along the interface of box and the top 40a of box 10a upon both ends of sheet as shown at 23. It is also contemplated that the sides 24 of sheet 20, that is the portions of that sheet covering the corresponding sides of the stacked boxes 10 and 10a, may be printed with material that would not be necessarily desirable on the boxes themselves. For instance large lettering advertising the card virtues, or the price, or a sale and so forth could be there printed. This list is of course merely suggestive, as is the illustrative lettering of FIGURES 1 and 4.

It is also highly advantageous to have a legend on said sides 24 inviting the viewer to open the boxes and handle the cards. This feature is not practical where the boxes alone are concerned, because it is considered objectionable to have a box with such a legend on it after purchase and during home storage. Thus the use of sheet 20 allows messages to be applied that would not or could not otherwise be applied.

It is contemplated that the top 40 be fabricated in the materials usual in the trade, that is, cardboard, plastic, etc. It is also contemplated that printed on sheet 20, at and coextensive with the adjacent bottom of box 10a would be the message page of the enclosed cards or other pertinent matter.

Another important feature resides in the psychological tendency to buy more than one unit if they are packaged into plurality packages, as shown. The implicit suggestion is often accepted. It is contemplated of course to package boxes greater in number than two by the present principles. For those desiring less than all the boxes in the package, said perforation line 23 allows breaking away of a single box, or more if more than two boxes are in the package.

Customers and clerks alike find the packages easier to handle and easier to stack and easier to store, than an equal number of the component boxes if unpackaged. This feature, together with the extra advertising copy and the encouragement of handling of the contents and the encouragement of multiple box buying, combine to render the devices constructed in accordance with the instant inventive principles highly advantageous in the retailing art.

The boxes 10 and 10a may be fabricated in whatever material the manufacturer usually employs, this generally being cardboard. The sheet 20 may be cardboard, cloth, paper or plastic or cellophane or any similar material consistent with the uses described above, including metal foil.

In operation, boxes 10a with its cards and 10 without its cards are stacked, and sheet 20 is wrapped thereabout. Ends 21 and 22 are inserted as described, cards are stacked in box 10 upon ends 21 and 22 and top 40 is applied. When a continuous loop or sleeve such as Ztia is employed, the loop is of the proper circumference as aforesaid to allow girdling of the stacked boxes and to further allow a portion of the loop to lie substantially flush against the sides and bottom of the inside of the uppermost box. The cards 30 are stacked as usual and the top 40 is applied as aforesaid.

The entire package is then displayed on a retail or other shelf for customers perusal. Upon sale, the top 40 may be lifted and the ends 21 and 22 (where they are employed, rather than a continuous loop) may be extracted, whereupon the sheet 20 with advertising or other legend thereupon may be discarded. Or the sheet 20 may be retained to aid handling and storage by the customer. For those desiring to split a package by buying less than all boxes therein, the clerk may remove the sheet 20 as aforesaid, or may slit open perforations 23.

One embodiment illustrating the inventive principles has been shown. This embodiment is illustrative, and the invention is not limited thereto, but rather is only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A retail display package comprising a plurality of relatively shallow boxes stacked top to bottom in overlying relation and terminating in an uppermost box, a sheet girdling said stacked boxes in a vertical plane, said sheet passing over the opposed upper edges of said uppermost box and lying substantially flush with the inside surface of said uppermost box between said edges, contents within said uppermost box disposed to press upon said sheet therein, and a removable clamp-over lid-top upon said uppermost box, said lid-top in close fitting relation with said upper edges so as to grasp said sheet therebetween.

2. A retail display package comprising a plurality of relatively shallow boxes stacked top to bottom in overlying relation and terminating in an uppermost box, a sheet having two ends and girdling said stacked boxes in a vertical plane, each said end passing over an upper edge of said uppermost box and terminating inside said uppermost box, contents within said uppermost box disposed to press upon said ends, and a removable clampover lid top upon said uppermost box, said lid top in close fitting relation with said upper edges so as to grasp said sheet therebetween.

3. A retail display package comprising a plurality of relatively shallow boxes stacked top to bottom in overlying relation and terminating in an uppermost box, a sheet having two ends and girdling said stacked boxes in a vertical plane, each said end passing over an upper edge of said uppermost box and terminating on the floor thereof, contents within said uppermost box disposed to press upon said ends, and a removable clamp-over lid top upon said uppermost box, said lid top in close fitting relation with said upper edges so as to grasp said sheet therebetween.

4. A retail display package according to claim 3 wherein said contents comprise a stacked plurality of cards substantially coextensive with the interior volume of said uppermost box.

5. A retail display package according to claim 3 wherein said contents comprise more than one stacked plurality of cards, each said stacked plurality being arranged side by side with each other stacked plurality, the totality of cards being substantially coextensive with the interior volume of said uppermost box.

6. A retail display package comprising a plurality of relatively shallow boxes stacked top to bottom in overlying relation and terminating in an uppermost box, a sheet girdling said boxes in a vertical plane, said sheet passing over the opposed upper edges of said uppermost box and lying substantially flush with the inside surfaces of said uppermost box between said edges, contents within said uppermost box extending substantially from top to bottom thereof and disposed to press upon said sheet therein, and a removable clamp-over lid top upon said uppermost box, the planar upper surface of said lid top being in close engagement with said contents, and the clamp-over portion of said lid top being in close fitting relation with said upper edges so as to grasp said sheet therebetween.

7. A retail display package comprising a plurality of relatively shallow boxes stacked top to bottom in overlying relation and terminating in an uppermost box, a sheet having two ends and girdling said stacked boxes in a vertical plane, each said end passing over an upper edge of said uppermost box and terminating on the floor thereof, contents within said uppermost box extending substantially from top to bottom thereof and disposed to rest upon and press upon said ends, and a removable clamp-over lid top upon said upermost box, the planar upper surface of said lid top being in close engagement with said contents, and the clamp-over portion of said lid top being in close fitting relation with said upper edges so as to grasp said sheet therebetween.

8. A retail display package according to claim 7 wherein said sheet is substantially coextensive with those sides of said stacked boxes which are girdled thereby.

9. A retail display package according to claim 7 wherein each said card has a message page and said sheet has figures thereon, the figures on the portion of said sheet coextensive with the bottom of said package being a fascimile of said message page, and the figures on the portion of said sheet coextensive with the girdled ends of said package being printed matter.

10. A retail display package according to claim 7 Wherein a series of perforations appear in said sheet, said perforations being coextensive with and overlying the interface between the top and bottom respectively of each adjacent pair of stacked boxes at both girdled ends there- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 476,576 Tate June 7, 1892 1,657,277 OConnor Jan. 24, 1928 2,979,871 'Kieckhefer Apr. 18, 1961 2,982,063 Coleman May 2, 1961 

